Once the chair for Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District's Trails Advisory Committee, Kroger had lobbied city, regional and county leaders for years to create the missing link between Scholls Ferry Road and 105th Avenue.

But in 2011, Kroger's priorities shifted. Her brother suffered a stroke, and she left the committee to care for him full time.

Yet as she walks along the pathway behind her daughter, who pushes her brother's wheelchair around one of the new boardwalks overlooking Fanno Creek, Kroger knows her work paid off.

"My heart sings," said Kroger, beaming at the sight of a red tailed hawk, and admiring the rows of trillium lining the trail. "I'm very happy with this. It's better than I could have imagined."

The process, THPRD officials say, wasn't easy.

Between issues with contractors, public opposition, funding, and easements for land use rights, that particular portion of the Fanno Creek Trail took around nine years to complete, said Joe Blowers, incoming THPRD Board President.

"You can't imagine how circuitous a route we had to take to get here," Blowers said to the crowd. "Hopefully, every trail won't be this convoluted."

The $1.6 million dollar project now allows walkers, joggers, and bikers to enjoy a largely continuous, paved trail between the Garden Home Recreation Center and Tigard's Englewood Park.

View full sizeDeborah Bloom/The OregonianWendy Kroger (left) stops with her daughter and brother for a brief moment to admire the Creek below the bridge. Kroger has urged local leaders to connect the Fanno Creek Trail for years, and finally gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor with a short outdoor hike.

With better connectivity, THPRD officials hope the trail will enjoy more use throughout the year.

And if families like Vickie Ortega's are any indication, those hopes will soon be realized.

"Even if it was raining, we had to come see this," Ortega said, mounted on her bike, ready to ride. Next to her, Ortega's husband carried their 4-year-old on a child bike seat behind him.

The Ortegas had actually moved to the Beaverton area for the biking trails five years ago. Now, with the Fanno Creek Trail connected, they have a reason to make the busy trek over OR-217 to get from their home near Greenway Park to the west side of the trail.

For them, Sunday Trailways was a good opportunity to get out on their bikes and take their son to the many activities planned at various stops along the trail, which included a DJ, dancing, face painting, and lessons in wildlife.

The event, largely modeled after Portland's Sunday Parkways, is something THPRD hopes to do annually. By urging others to walk, roll, or run through these scenic corridors, the organization hopes to get community members outdoors, and in better health.

Case in point: Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle, who uses the trail for both recreation and for commuting.

As the city's only regional trail, Fanno Creek Trail has not only proved to be an enormous asset to his city, but it also "makes old guys like me actually go out and ride," Doyle said with a grin.

More broadly, this new, paved corridor could offer a connectivity that is both literal and figurative.

With this corridor being wheelchair accessible, Kroger will sometimes bring her brother here to help him walk short lengths and regain his balance.

Perhaps, Kroger said, the opportunity to breathe fresh air among wildlife and the sounds of flowing creek water could bring her community a bit more balance as well.